• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Purchase experience $$$

Yeah, forget that noise. I paid just a bit over $300 for prep and no setup charge on my FJ-09 at Berkeley Yamaha/Honda. Scott took very good care of me over there.
 
I will fly 2k miles just to avoid dealer BS.

I did exactly that last year. was in/out of the dealer in an hour. they shipped it to my door.

with a few exceptions, I will never buy a new bike at a bay area, LA/OC area dealer.

places like bert's mega mall are famous for this crap.
 
Recall when I bought one of the first ZX12R's available. Because of the lack of availability, many dealers were jacking up the MSRP of $12,999 to $15+K or more OTD.

Said to myself I'm going to buy this bike $12.5K or less, or I ain't buying. I then proceeded to call all around the bay, getting the same $15K OTD or forget it state,emt. I even went to my ATT favorite dealer Hayward Kawasaki & told the salesman (who I had ridden w/before), here's my check, give me the deal. He would not do it even when I showed the check! :mad

I ended up going to RWC KAW, & got the deal I wanted, $12.5K OTD. Later I went back to HAY KAW & they saw me on the new bike; they couldn't believe I didn't buy from them. I told them, when a customer shows you a check, they are ready to buy (I was), so sell it to me even if it hurts a little. Nope, they wouldn't go down on price...

I felt sad not buying from my favorite dealer, but I spent the $2K on a new set of leathers. So I think I got the deal I wanted? Should I have payed more to stay w/them f/$2+K? I felt they should have given me the deal...so I don't feel really bad for them as I showed them the check.....

-ebd
 
do your homework

Know what you want, know what you want to pay, if they don't budge walk out the door and go someplace else.
It might take some time finding the right dealer with your right price but its out there.
You have to go find it.
 
Yeah I called asking for pricing on a 2015 crf230f and was told they didn't have any but they did have yamaha ttr-230's! no thanks dude - when will you have the honda 230 in? He says he'll check and call me back - before we hang up I ask if he knows the pricing and he says after a slight pause, "no, I actually don't have that information" and I was like, even a rough estimate? "no but don't worry when you come in we'll make sure you get a great price" umm....no.

Sucks too because I know a barfer works in the parts/service department and he's always super cool - everyone I've met in service is really nice actually - seems like sales is where they tend to fail.
 
I briefly worked at Richmond Kawasaki back in the mid 80's. Management told me do what ever it takes to sell the bike TODAY. Never quote an OTD, stick to monthlies only; throw in helmet, jacket, gloves at "dealer cost" which was the full marked-up floor price. Throw in a first service for free knowing they would charge them anyway. They sold bikes they didn't have, promising there was one in the back they had to un-crate. It was all about pressure. All that "let me take this to my sales managers manager" back and forth BS. And relentless calls to people who had made the mistake of giving us their phone number.

I quit after about 2 weeks. Just because I rode 'em, didn't mean I could sell 'em.
 
I worked for several different dealerships. The "uncrating" involves taking the bike out of the shipping crate, maybe putting the front wheel/ handebars on, and doing a torque/fluids check, install the battery and check operations. Some dealerships charge almost $1000 for this. So, maybe see if you can negotiate that down. Some dealerships use a helper or "set up boy" to do these tasks, at a low pay rate.
 
yeah, I saved about 4k buying a Harley in San Diego. Every Harley dealership in the Bay was asking for 24k OTD for a fully loaded Road King. Paid 20k OTD with a 4 year warranty. Especially with the ridiculous 9.5% tax for alameda county.

BOOYAH!!!!

From experience, you need to be ready to buy right there and then. Sales people dont want to waste your time and neither do you. If that is the first sign that you notice from them, then you need to leave and go elsewhere. Find the price you are willing to pay for. Dont even look at the dealer prep, shipping, none of that. Just focus on what you want to pay OTD including taxes. Dealers can fiddle with the numbers when you get to the dreaded F&I guy/gal.
 
Last edited:
vizcarmb said:
yeah, I saved about 4k buying a Harley in San Diego. Every Harley dealership in the Bay was asking for 24k OTD for a fully loaded Road King. Paid 20k OTD with a 4 year warranty. Especially with the ridiculous 9.5% tax for alameda county.

BOOYAH!!!!

From experience, you need to be ready to buy right there and then. Sales people dont want to waste your time and neither do you. If that is the first sign that you notice from them, then you need to leave and go elsewhere. Find the price you are willing to pay for. Dont even look at the dealer prep, shipping, none of that. Just focus on what you want to pay OTD including taxes. Dealers can fiddle with the numbers when you get to the dreaded F&I guy/gal.
Click to expand...

Isn't tax taken based on the registration address not the sales address for vehicles? I'm in 7.5%, always get this rate on vehicle purchases.
 
I'm most suspicious of "freight and setup" fees, all other fees are set and can be looked up or calculated (license, tax, etc.).

When shopping for my 2014 FJR, one dealer wanted $495 for freight plus $495 for setup, nearly $1,000. I bought from a dealer that charged $400 for both freight AND setup. He was also honest about knocking $900 off MSRP. Deal! It pays to shop around - with knowledge.

Dan
 
solimarBeach said:
Isn't tax taken based on the registration address not the sales address for vehicles? I'm in 7.5%, always get this rate on vehicle purchases.
Click to expand...

Yes, sort of (I purchased in Lake County, reside in Mendocino County). My residence is not in the city limits of Ukiah but I got charged as though I was (city adds a fraction of a percent in sales tax). Since my mailing addy is "Ukiah", that is what they go by.

Dan
 
I always ask the OTD price. Once I get that figure, I haggle it down to what I feel is acceptable.
 
jmann said:
An extreme example, but you're saying if someone advertised a bike for $50. Yet, when you arrive they say oh by the way, there are $10000 in bogus fees. When you ask about the fees, they say it's what they normally charge and every one has the same fees. When in fact they have freight / prep fees listed for every model inside their own showroom for much less and reasonable amounts. It's a matter of principal. If it's listed for $50, then sell it for $50 and charge reasonable fees.
Click to expand...
You're still whining. Who is to say what is reasonable, the seller or the purchaser? Quit whining. Just ask for the only dollar amount that matters: out-the-door. This is always the figure that is finally arrived at, anyway. "Cut to the chase." I can't make this any clearer.

Lex
 
corndog67 said:
And line up your financing yourself or have your cash ready, because my buddy the fleet manager, told me that they get a base interest rate from the bank, and add up to 2 points on top (for the dealer and salesman).
Click to expand...

Yep

Sometimes it's only 1 point, or some kind of flat bonus, but either way it's an incentive from the lender to the dealer. Hell, finance guys usually make more than the actual salesperson. That's why most dealers hate it when you say you're paying cash. Hold onto that card as long as you can, until after you've agreed on the OTD price.
 
Last edited:
Maddevill said:
I worked for several different dealerships. The "uncrating" involves taking the bike out of the shipping crate, maybe putting the front wheel/ handebars on, and doing a torque/fluids check, install the battery and check operations. Some dealerships charge almost $1000 for this. So, maybe see if you can negotiate that down. Some dealerships use a helper or "set up boy" to do these tasks, at a low pay rate.
Click to expand...
True. I bought a new uncrated bike from a dealer in MN, had it shipped in the original Kawasaki shipping crate to me here, setup was simple. I did have to make an unplanned trip to the local chemical supply house for sulfuric acid.

I broke my "out-the-door" pricing rule for that purchase: instead, I wanted the "delivered-to-my-door" price. I didn't care how the dealer arrived at the figure, none of my concern :laughing

Lex
 
Lex Talionis said:
You're still whining. Who is to say what is reasonable, the seller or the purchaser? Quit whining. Just ask for the only dollar amount that matters: out-the-door. This is always the figure that is finally arrived at, anyway. "Cut to the chase." I can't make this any clearer.

Lex
Click to expand...

I don't think he is whining. The only two figures that are negotiable are MSRP and freight/setup, all others are fixed. I work on those two and deal with the tax/license/doc fees that are tacked on because no one can change those anyway. OTD settles out from the agreed upon negotiated amounts of the MSRP and freight/setup.

JMHO

Dan
 
I was at GP Motorsports in San Jose looking at the $3200msrp Honda Grom

The S&M guy said "$4700.00 out the door".... $1500 markup.. I said see ya
 
I've evolved.

I'm less price sensitive than relationship sensitive.

I've purchased many cars and bikes over the years, and I tell the sales guy up front, that if I have to talk, ever, to the "Sales Manager" I will leave the premises. If the sales guy doesn't have the clout to do the deal, I don't want to waste time. In my experience dealerships of both kinds are changing.

I bought my latest bike by phoning the salesman (who I had dealt with previously) saying I would pay 10% off for the bike and 15% off for the accessories. He invited me to come to the dealership, and since the bike I wanted wasn't in stock, I gave him $1K as a deposit, and a list of accessories I wanted installed.

Now whether this was the best price I could have gotten on a day in December, I don't know! But it seemed a fair deal for both of us. And that's exactly the way it went down. The bike showed up in January, and it took a month to accessorize it because not accessories all were immediately available.

I'm very friendly to this dealership and to this salesperson to this day. We didn't beat each other up or discuss OTD pricing, although of course I had an idea.

I financed through the dealer (I have the ability to pay cash if I want to) because money is so cheap. He even offered to let me charge it on my credit card!

Market forces play a part here. On a "hotter" selling bike I might not have received such a good deal. In addition, the accessory list may have played a part. I spent half the cost of the bike on them, so it was a lot.

Obviously YMMV. But I think having a good relationship with your dealer is not only good for him, but you as well.
 
A couple of points to the OP.

Don't negotiate over the phone. Most callers are priceshoppers, and it's tough to deal with them. I'm an exception because I already knew the guy, and had bought a bike previously from him.

I know nothing about the bike you want, but if its a "hot" seller or in short supply, dealers will charge what the traffic will bear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top